Section 12-8-39. Cost reimbursement fees; surcharges.

   (a) Effective January 1, 1992, each city or county which operates a municipal solid waste disposal facility is authorized and required to impose a cost reimbursement fee upon each ton of municipal solid waste or the volume equivalent of a ton, as determined by rules of the division, for each ton of municipal solid waste received at a municipal solid waste disposal facility regardless of its source. The fee imposed may be equal to, or a portion of, the true cost of providing solid waste management services on a per ton or volume equivalent as determined pursuant to the forms, rules, and procedures developed by the Department of Community Affairs.

(b) A minimum of $1.00 per ton or volume equivalent of the cost reimbursement fee specified in this Code section which is received by the city or county, if implemented after March 30, 1990, shall be paid into a local restricted account and shall be used for solid waste management purposes only.

(c) Effective January 1, 1992, when a municipal solid waste disposal facility is operated as a joint venture by more than one city or county or combination thereof, by a special solid waste district, or by an authority, the cost reimbursement fee specified in this Code section shall be imposed by the joint operators, district, or authority and the cost reimbursement fee received shall be administered as outlined in subsection (b) of this Code section and shall be remitted into a restricted account established by the participating local governments.

(d) Effective January 1, 1992, when a municipal solid waste disposal facility is operated by private enterprise, the host local government is authorized and required to impose a surcharge of $1.00 per ton or volume equivalent in addition to any other negotiated charges or fees which shall be imposed by and paid to the host local government for the facility and shall be used to offset the impact of the facility, public education efforts for solid waste management, the cost of solid waste management, and the administration of the local or regional solid waste management plan; provided, however, that such surcharges may be used for other governmental expenses to the extent not required to meet the above or other solid waste management needs.

(e) (1) Owners or operators of any solid waste disposal facility other than an inert waste landfill as defined in regulations promulgated by the board or a private industry solid waste disposal facility shall assess and collect on behalf of the division from each disposer of waste a surcharge of 75 cent(s) per ton of solid waste disposed. Two percent of said surcharges collected may be retained by the owner or operator of any solid waste disposal facility collecting said surcharge to pay for costs associated with collecting said surcharge. Surcharges assessed and collected on behalf of the division shall be paid to the division not later than the first day of July of each year for the preceding calendar year. Any facility permitted exclusively for the disposal of construction or demolition waste that conducts recycling activities for construction or demolition materials shall receive a credit towards such surcharges of 75 cent(s) per ton of material recycled at the facility.

   (2) The surcharge amount provided for in this subsection shall be subject to revision pursuant to Code Section 45-12-92.2.

(f) All surcharges required by subsection (e) of this Code section shall be paid to the division for transfer into the state treasury to the credit of the general fund. The division shall collect such fees until the unencumbered principal balance of the hazardous waste trust fund equals or exceeds $25 million, at which time the division shall not collect any further such surcharges until the unencumbered balance in such fund equals or is less than $12.5 million, at which time the division shall resume collection of such surcharges at the beginning of the next calendar year following the year in which such event occurs. The director shall provide written notice to all permitted solid waste disposal facilities at the time he receives notice that the unencumbered balance of such trust fund equals or exceeds $25 million or equals or is less than $12.5 million.

(g) Unless the requirement for the surcharge required by subsection (e) of this Code section is reimposed by the General Assembly, no such surcharge shall be collected after July 1, 2018.

(h) The division shall advertise to the public the surcharges imposed pursuant to subsection (e) of this Code section in accordance with rules promulgated by the board.

Code 1981, § 12-8-39, enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 412, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 2234, § 4; Ga. L. 1992, p. 3276, §§ 15, 16; Ga. L. 2002, p. 927, § 1; Ga. L. 2011, p. 283, § 2/HB 274; Ga. L. 2012, p. 775, § 12/HB 942; Ga. L. 2013, p. 856, § 1/HB 276.